Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

56 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD December 28, 1929 MUSIC AND TALENT Pit Orchestras Returning to Theatres New Policy to Feature Stage Show and Music Return of Musicians Show Beneficial Effect on Box Office Receipts By DON SAMSON Music and the stage show are slowly being replaced and featured in motion picture houses throughout the country. Pit orchestras returned to the motion picture theatres of St. Louis this week, in accordance with the terms of the recent peace agreement entered into by the Musicians' Union. Today the Loew's State theatre is the only theatre in St. Louis without musicians. This house*depends entirely on the music of sound pictures. In every case, theatres returning to the pit orchestra have witnessed a very beneficial effect in box office receipts, which proves that the stage show or any other form of musical entertainment is still a very important factor in the program of the theatre. It was only natural that the invasion of sound pictures would for a short time lessen the interest in flesh entertainment. But, like all other new forms of entertainment, the novelty soon wears off, and the demand for a well balanced program is greater than before. Public interest seems to show that the musical program of the theatre has always been its greatest drawing interest. I suppose that a good many remember that not so very long ago the merchants of Chicago started a petition against the theatres of the city withdrawing their pit orchestras. I remember that only last year a first run theatre in downtown Los Angeles was forced to close after the removal of its orchestra, which had long been the drawing power of the theatre. Recent surveys show that theatres all over the country are beginning to realize the real value of the theatre orchestra, and that to replace them is the only real way to put the theatre on a sound paying basis again. There is diversion and a pleasant contrast in a program consisting of a stage show as well as a picture and as a rule if one is poor the other is bound to make the evening's entertainment worth while. For it offers something in the program that will please everyone. This applies in most every case. There is no dispute of the fact that the talking picture is a great medium of entertainment, but without the presentation act and the pit orchestra, the really well balanced program can never be reached. Milton Slosser Milton Slosser, whose likeness appears above, is another organist who has a record to be proud of, only his is a bit different. Slosser has been a permanent fixture in the Missouri theatre in St. Louis for close to six years. There have been times during which he has acted as guest organist at other Skouras theatres for a few weeks at a time but the demand for his return to the Missouri theatre always finds him back home after a short period. Daring the recent musicians strike in St. Louis, Slosser was transferred to the Warner Bros, theatre in Pittsburgh, where he met with huge success. No doubt he is again back home in the Missouri theatre, now that the musicians have arbitrated their difficulties. Robbins New Plans for Foreign Tieups The Robbins Music Corporation, publishers to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is planning radical changes in connection with its disposition of foreign rights to M G M-Robbins picture songs. The rights on picture songs are to be sold individually, instead of the usual group plan. In the past, publishers almost generally sold publication rights to these four points : England, which included all of that country's possessions ; France, which included Holland, Belgium, Spain and Italy ; Germany, which included Austria and Hungary, and Australia. In the new Robbins contracts with foreign agents, each country will be sold individual publishing rights, in the hope that the music will thus be brought closer to the natives of the country in which it is to be exploited. Whenever possible, the Robbins firm plans to print its own foreign editions. In cases where this is not feasible, publishing franchises will be awarded to the leading music establishment in the country concerned. This method has, at various times, been successfully used in South America. STAGE SHOWS Jersey City Stanley Week Ending December 19 The stage show at this house this week features Jack Partington's "Mardi Gras" unit, but the main attraction which has filled the house at every performance is the return of the neighborhood's favorite eon, Benny Ross. "Mardi Gras" opens to a "Romeo and Juliet" scene in which Dorothy Nevelle, from the balcony, beautifully sings to a street musician, as a holiday spirit prevails among the cloistered artists, etc. The 6cene then shifts to a beautiful scene in which the band and the Four Minstrels are seated. The boys play a few numbers and then introduce Benny Ross (who needs no introduction to this audience) who comes in for a tremendous amount of applause and speaks the usual speech and then announces a special arrangement of "Singin' in the Rain" which his band and the Four Minstrels play very well. Two Gobs (Solly Fields and Pinkey Leff) next offer comedy songs, a dance bit, and a lot of other hokum that could be eliminated and their good dancing put in instead. Their dancing is by far the best part of their work, though they had the house in an uproar with their funny antics. Ross then gave the audience what they had been waiting impatiently for, his singing. Benny sang for his first number since his return, "Love, Your Spell Is Everywhere," and naturally stopped the show with It. He encored with a special Iyriced chorus of "Here We Are," and just about stopped the show with this one too. To stop the applause, Dorothy Nevelle, entered carrying two dolls, "Pierot" and "Pierette" and sang of the love of these two throughout the ages. The Fred Evans Ensemble offered a well done toe routine as Miss Neville sang, then too midgets, Helen and Charles Royal, who are dressed as Pierot and Pierette dance a pleasing routine. Helen does a difficult toe routine as Charles assists. They received a very fine hand. Miss Neville closes this with a final chorus of her fine singing. The Four Ortons, follow with a sensational and unique (for picture houses) wirewalking act that received hearty applause. The finale was the usual beautiful picture, with the addition of having the Ortons do difficult stunts as the King and Queen (Helen and Charles Royal) watch proceedings. Detroit Michigan Week Ending December 19 You've probably seen that cartoon strip, "Believe It or Not." which Robert Ripley, the artist, has made so popular and which is syndicated throughout the country. Well, Publix borrowed the title "Believe It or Not" for the presentation which came to the Michigan this week, thereby cashing in on some very nice publicity. The Detroit Times here runs Ripley's cartoons, and so they were very willing to cooperate in putting over a "Believe It or Not Contest" while the show was in the city. The excuse for the show title is Leon, a better than average magician, who mystified his audiences all week with some really unusual tricks. Six girls, in cute little one-piece suits of black velvet, marched out In front of the curtain as the show opened to sing a song about "Believe It or Not." Then they were joined by six other girls in knee breeches, swallowtail coats and silk toppers who pose as magacians. After a dance routine, the six magicians went through some elemental feats of magic during which the other girls acted as their assistants. The finale of the dance came when the magicians made some {Continued on page 58)